


In Silence

by FloralPrince



Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Post-Thriller Bark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:02:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28641180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloralPrince/pseuds/FloralPrince
Summary: The feeling began while on Thriller Bark. Now things are different, but they would both prefer to sit in silence than admit anything that they might regret. Yet then the silence is broken and things don't seem to want to fall back into place.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 6
Kudos: 93





	In Silence

The feeling started after everything that had happened at Thriller Bark.  
Bartholomew Kuma had shown Zoro hell and he had taken it on head first in silence like the stubborn fool he always had been.  
Now it was taking its toll on him, and it was quite obvious from the dark rings under his eyes.  
Night terrors of the pain.  
Tonight was no different.

“Again?”

Zoro wasn’t going to answer him, and he hadn’t asked to hear a reply. This was their silent routine now. The cook settled down beside him and offered him some tea before he looked up at the stars. He lit a cigarette and listened to the waves being pierced by the Thousand Sunny, the gentle swaying lulling him into a peaceful state. All it needed was the gentle rumble of the swordsman asleep, resting against the foremast. Sanji stayed with him for just a while longer. The feeling hadn’t left him. He put out his cigarette and collected the half-empty cup before he headed to bed himself.

The morning came too soon. Before the sun had even climbed to its highest point he was fighting with him again.

“Aye eyebrow, come here for a sec.”

“What’s up? You want something special for lunch or something?” Sanji inhaled a lungful of nicotine before stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

There was just a silent shrug in response as Zoro looked away. “Just wanted to test something. What are you, a maid?”

He gritted his teeth as ash fell from his lips. “You damn idiot, if that’s all you want then I’m going back to Nami and Robin.” Zoro watched as the angry cook walked off grumbling to himself. “Damn idiot. Tch, a maid? He can catch his own lunch if he’s going to act like that.”

They didn’t talk for the rest of the day, eating their meals with conversation directed at others but never each other. Yet when the sun dipped below the ocean and the stars were the only company to Zoro’s thoughts he found himself wondering when the cook would show. No matter what they said to each other during the day, the night was when they could just sit in silence and not be angry with one another. Each night he had to ask himself if it was the dreams that brought him here or if it was a certain blonde, and each night it got harder to answer.

“Here, stupid.”

Another cup of tea. He had gotten used to the warmth it filled him with. The swordsman watched as his friend sat down beside him with his own cup. They sat in silence as they drank their tea and listened to the sounds of the ocean. Why ruin a moment with words when the silence spoke in volume. His cup was empty and yet he was still awake, his mind too focused on the presence of the man next to him to get any sleep. He wanted to sit in the silence with him for as long as he could. Yet the sun began to rise and the moment was over far too soon. Perhaps, before the sun fueled their arguments the moon could give way to one last kindness.

“Thanks.”

That afternoon went by without a single argument. While the crew ate and enjoyed their conversations with one another there was a silent tension between the two. The feeling was persistent and the image of Zoro thanking him with the softest of smiles had only made what he first felt on Thriller Bark that much more obvious to himself. It was the first time the marimo had broken the silence of their routine. Things that were meant to be left unspoken were being exposed. He didn’t need gratitude for sitting with him. It made him feel vulnerable to know what he was doing wasn’t just a thoughtless thing anymore. It meant something now.

The night came too soon yet not quick enough. Peering into two cups of tea, Sanji wondered why he did it. It was a dumb question, he already knew why. The answer was sitting outside waiting for him. If he didn’t show, would the swordsman look for him? Had this silent routine become more than just a habit? It was hard to know- hard to think. However, a knock on the door frame was enough to disrupt thoughts of uncertainty. 

“Need any help?”

It was enough to throw the blonde for a loop. Their routine had ended the moment Zoro had spoken the night before, yet seeing the change was still unexpected.

“I can manage. I am the cook of this crew after all.”

So many words spoken. It felt almost cruel to keep breaking the silence. Yet when the other stayed silent he found himself wishing they had more to say. Tea passed from hand to hand and the sound of their footsteps and the outside world became deafening. They stood there as if leaving the room would cause the routine to fall back into place, and neither of them wanted to admit they wanted to break the silence. Their gazes, by accident, collided. Small smiles were shared and a thousand silent words effortlessly were heard. But sealed lips slipped out hushed secrets, letting go of the things that needed to be spoken.

“I was worried about you.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I thought you were going to die back on Thriller Bark.”

“I didn’t.”

“I’m glad.”

Simple words, but meaningful. Zoro mulled over what to say. What could he say? That he had expected to die? That he was fully willing to lay his life down for his captain, the crew, him? He had seen Sanji cry once. He didn’t want that image seared into his mind more than it already was. Yet when Sanji was the one to find him he hadn’t expected to be the reason for his tears. He couldn’t have died there because he wouldn’t accept those blue crying orbs to be the last thing he saw. He wanted to see his smile.

“Then you should smile more if you’re so happy I’m alive.”

Sanji thought back on all the days since Thriller Bark. It was true his mind was more muddled since then, but he still smiled a fair share. “I already do, dumbass.”

“Then aim them more at me.”

He hadn’t meant to let the words slip out but they did. As soon as they left his lips the silence stole the breath from his lungs. He watched as Sanji pulled a cigarette from the pack in his hand and lit it- the way he breathed in the poison and let the smoke slip out. He’d be willing to let that poison kill him. Sanji walked past him and stood on the lawn deck just looking up at the stars. He put out the embers and looked at the swordsman with his piercing eyes, the moonlight giving one final act of kindness to his features. His lips curled and his teeth aligned as he gave Zoro a genuine smile.

“Who says they aren’t?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my first fanfic :)


End file.
